Superfund

The Environmental Protection Agency may have declared Superfund status for 48 mining-related sites around Silverton, but that hasn’t stopped grass-roots efforts that have worked for more than two decades to improve water quality in the Animas River watershed. On Monday, a joint project between the Bureau of Land Management, the town of Silverton and volunteers from around the

A historic Colorado mountain town is on the threshold of a transformation after the federal government announced it will embark on an ambitious campaign to stanch the flow of acidic wastewater cascading from abandoned mines. The Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday designated an area north of Silverton as a Superfund site, clearing the way for a multimillion-dollar cleanu

The jolting sight of a mustard-yellow river in the aftermath of the Gold King Mine spill was enough to incite the worst fears for Silverton’s future, mainly that the national headline-yielding blowout would destroy the community’s economic crown jewel: tourism. But a year later, with official Superfund status expected this fall, it appears the Environmental Protection Ag

Twenty-five years ago Tuesday, Sunnyside Gold Corp. shuttered the last operating mine in Silverton, yet the company’s involvement in the region is very much alive. On Friday, Sunnyside – now owned by international mining conglomerate Kinross Gold Corp.

A year ago, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency wound up red-faced after the Gold King Mine blowout turned the Animas River orange. Since then, the EPA won grudging support from Silverton and San Juan County to designate the Bonita Mountain mining district as a Superfund site, but little or no progress has been made on the ground toward a permanent fix.

The Environmental Protection Agency’s coordinator for work at the Gold King and other mines contaminating Animas River headwaters is retiring as the feds begin soil and water tests before a Superfund cleanup. EPA on-scene coordinator Steve Way was away on vacation Aug. 5 when contractors led by fellow EPA coordinator Hays Griswold triggered a blowout at the Gold King.

Nine months after mining sludge from the Gold King Mine turned the Animas and San Juan rivers yellow, scientists and researchers gathered here recently to share what they have learned so far regarding the contamination of the rivers from the spill in August 2015. “Immediately during and after the Gold King Mine spill, different groups started monitoring the river water, shores and ir

The Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday extended the public comment period on the proposed Superfund site in San Juan County to June 13. The extension will give the public an additional week to comment on the Bonita Peak Mining District, which encompasses nearly 50 sites. The site was placed on the Federal Register in April for consideration on the National Priorities List.&nb

Environmental Protection Agency officials say by next month they intend to provide La Plata and San Juan counties a list of tasks it expects to complete in 2016 at the proposed Bonita Peak Mining District Superfund site. “Next month, we could provide a more comprehensive briefing on 2016 activities, where we will collect data and figure out what questions that data will ans